Reversible sliding door and window construction



Nov. 1, 1966 H. M. RIEGELMAN 3,281,993

REVERSIBLE SLIDING DOOR AND WINDOW CONSTRUCTION Filed May 12, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l 30 L24 0 6 J f a] INVENTOR %MEVM fi/mam/v MW g/a rzd Nov. 1, 1966 H. M. RIEGELMAN 3,281,993

REVERSIBLE SLIDING DOOR AND WINDOW CONSTRUCTION Filed May 12, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V30 [.442 a M INVENTOR.

Haley/K Esaanny BY QZM M M United States Patent Ofiice 328L993 Patented Nov. 1, 1966 3,281,993 REVERSIBLE SLIDING DOOR AND WINDOW CONSTRUCTION Harry M. Riegelrnan, Rolling Hills, Califl, assignor to Ador Corporation, Fullerton, Califl, a corporation of California Filed May 12, 1964, Ser. No. 366,720 Claims. (Cl. 49-425 This invention relates generally to sliding closure members, and more particularly to a reversible sliding sash construction for windows, doors, and the like.

Sliding door or window construction commonly includes an aluminum framed glass door or window which slides open from a lock jamb in a direction towards a normally fixed glass panel, usually closely adjacent and parallel thereto, Both the sliding sash and the fixed panel are normally mounted in a casing conventionally set in an opening in the wall of a building. Rollers or wheels are mounted in the lower rail member of the sliding sash, and the casing is usually provided with cooperating means, such as a parallel upstanding fin in the sill member of the casing, which acts as the runner for the bottom rollers of the sash. This bottom roller method for achieving the necessary rolling contact between the sash and the casing has been generally unsatisfactory because the weight of the sash is so small that the rollers easily jump the sill track, e.g., as when children or adults mistakenly push or pull the sash laterally to its direction of sliding movement.

Mainly because of the aforedescribed disadvantage of the bottom roller technique, the art is generally moving towards top-hung doors and windows. The top-hung sash usually has a pair of upper vertical rollers which are adapted to slip into a longitudinal channel provided in the top or head member of the casing. Bottom rollers are also provided for the sliding sash as in the past. Unfortunately, designers of top-hung sashes have been faced with a number of difiiculties presented by such mounting arrangements, including excessive play in operation, excessive clearance requirements for installation, and the tendency to bind when installed in a casing having a warped head member.

Sliding sashes can be installed to open from left to right, or right to left, according to the necessity imposed by surrounding structures, or as desired. Moreover, the sliding sash must be set squarely (through adjustable rollers) for proper operation within the casing. If the casing is intentionally constructed out of square in following an inclined surface and resembles a parallelogram, for example, the sash must, of course, be made to conform. In this instance, it is clearly desirable that the sliding sash have individually adjustable rollers in order to obtain the close adjustment necessary to meet the out of square condition. Thus, reversible sliding sashes having individually adjustable rollers are extremely useful and desirable. Such sashes are particularly desirable when they can be made readily reversible with little, if any, structural changes or modifications required thereon.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved sliding sash construction which overcomes the above and other disadvantages of the prior art.

Another object is to provide a reversible sliding sash for doors, windows and the like, which can be readily installed in a casing to open in one direction or another.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a reversible sliding sash having adjustable rollers which can be easily adjusted to square the sash within the casing in which it slides.

Still another object is to provide new and improved mounting means for a sliding sash which permits easy installation or removal of the sash from a casing, and also eliminates excessive play of the sash when installed in the casing.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of new and improved mounting means for a sliding sash which permits highly effective non-binding movement of the sash along its casing, while prohibiting undue play of the sash within the casing.

A still further object is to provide new and improved compact mounting means for a sliding sash requiring minimal clearing space in the head member of the casing in which the sash is installed.

Another object of this invention is to provide new and improved mounting means for a top-hung sliding sash wherein the mounting means are self-adjusting to prevent binding against the head member of the casing in which the sash is installed.

The above and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of an illustrative embodiment thereof, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view showing a sliding sash, in accordance with the present invention, mounted in the casing of a door or window;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, partial sectional view, taken along the line 22 in FIGURE 1, of the adjustable roller means attached to the top of the sliding sash and engaging railing structure of the casing head member, a phantom view being included to illustrate the manner of installation and removal of the sash in and from the casing;

FIGURE 3 is a partial sectional View, taken along the line 33 in FIGURE 2, and illustrates additional details of the roller construction at the top of the sash in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a partial sectional view, taken along the line 4--4 in FIGURE 3, and illustrates the manner in which the upper mounting means of the sliding sash avoids excessive play;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view, taken along the line 55 in FIGURE 3, and illustrates the manner in which the two halves of the roller housing interlock;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged, partial sectional view, taken along the line 66 in FIGURE 1, and illustrates the adjustable roller means at the bottom of the sliding sash;

FIGURE 7 is a partial sectional view, taken along the line 77 in FIGURE 6, and illustrates further details of the roller construction at the bottom of the sash in FIG- URE 1; and

FIGURE 8 is an elevational view of the sliding sash, illustrating the manner in which the upper roller means automatically adjust to prevent binding when contact is made with a portion of a warped head member.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGURE 1 thereof, a window casing 10 is set in an appropriate opening in the wall 12 of a building. The casing 10 is preferably fabricated from extruded aluminum head, sill, and jamb frame members which are suitably formed to provide cooperating flanges, ridges and channels that engage and accommodate a movable window panel (not shown) and a normally fixed window panel 14 (indicated in phantom lines). As shown in FIG- URE 1, the fixed window panel 14 is located in front of a sliding screen door 16 and its cooperating casing structure. Of course, the construction is not limited to windows or sliding screen doors, but is applicable to all openings which utilize a sliding sash or closure member in a casing. For purposes of description, however, the construction shown in the drawings depicts a sliding screen door in a window construction.

The sliding sash 16 is also preferably fabricated from extruded aluminum frame members including left and right stile members 18, 20, respectively, and upper and lower rail members 22, 24, respectively. Secured to the left and right stiles 18, 20 at the upper ends thereof, and projecting above the upper rail member 22, are adjustable top roller means 26, 28, respectively. Secured to the left and right stiles 18, 20 at the lower ends thereof, and projecting below the lower rail member 24, are a pair of spring-biased bottom roller means 30, 32, respectively.

The top roller means 26, 28 cooperatively engage a horizontal ledge 34 extending from the inner face of a dependent vertical wall 36 of the head member of the casing (FIGURE 2).

Each of the stiles 18, 20 is provided with a pair of spaced apart webs or cross members 38, 40 along the length of the stile defining hollow zones or pockets at the upper and lower ends of each stile, so that the upper roller means 26, 28 and lower roller means 30, 32 can be interchangeably mounted at the four corners of the sash 16.

Each of the stiles 18, 20 is provided with an upper elongated slot 42 and a lower elongated slot 44 in the outer cross member 38 of the stile. The elongated slot 44 enables adjustment of the position of the lower roller means with respect to the stile. The slot 42 similarly enables adjustment of the lower roller means when the sash 16 is rotated 180 for reversed sliding operation, and the lower and upper roller means are interchanged.

Referring now more particularly to FIGURES 2-5, the construction and adjustment of the upper roller means 26, 28 will become apparent. The roller means 28 includes a hollow housing 50 having two half sections 52, 53 (FIGURE 5) adapted to interlock means of any appropriate complementary indexing means 55. The two sections 52, 53 of the housing 55 are held in their assembled relationship by means of a U spring clamp 57 (FIG- URES 2, 3 and 5. The housing 50 is preferably molded from a low friction plastic material such as nylon or the like.

At the upper end of the housing 50 is a ball bearing roller 62 having an outer plastic tire 62 of nylon or the like. The roller 60 rotates about a vertical axle 64 passing through a pair of collars 66, 68 integral with the housing sections 52, 53, respectively. Hence, the roller axle 64 pins the two housing sections 52, 53 together for relative pivotal movement so that internal components can be more readily installed during the final roller means assembly process.

Adjacent the roller 60 is a roller shielding block 70 which is integral with the housing 50 and prevents undesired contact of the roller with portions of the casing head member, e.g., the walls 71 and 73, which might otherwise cause the roller to bind during movement of the sash 16. In this connection, the shielding block 70 has an upper surface 72 above the uppermost surface of the roller 60, and the block has a pair of outer lateral sur faces 74, 76 which project beyond the outer periphery of the roller tire 62. Hence, should the sash 16 shift upwardly or in either direction laterally with respect to the head member of the casing 10, the low friction shielding block 70 will contact the head member first and prevent any contact between the roller 60 and the head member. On the other hand, the lowermost surface of the roller tire 62 is below the lowermost surface of the shielding block 70, so that the block does not interfere with proper rolling contact between the roller tire 62 and the horizontal ledge 34 of the head member. The lateral dimensions of the shielding block 70 are also such that the surfaces 74, 76 are spaced only a short distance from the walls 71, 36, respectively of the casing head member. Hence, excessive lateral play of the sash 16 is prevented. Although the shielding block 72 is illustrated as having a substantially trapezoidal cross section (FIGURE 2 in the interest of providing the most compact profile consistent With its rollers shielding function, it will be apparent that other shielding block shapes may be employed.

Within a pocket at the lower end of the housing 50 is a coil compression spring 80 which is confined, prior to installation of the housing into one of the stiles, by upper and lower housing fianges 82, 84, respectively. Upon installation of the housing 50 into the stile, however, the lower end of the compression spring 80 abuts an assembly screw 86 passing through both cross members 38, 40 of the stile 20 into a threaded portion of the upper rail member 22. To this end, both sides of the housing 50 in abutment with the stile cross members 38, 40 are provided with elongated clearance slots 90 (FIGURE 2) to allow the housing 50 to move vertically along the stile without interfering with the assembly screw 86.

The axis of the compression spring 80 is vertical and is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing 50. Hence, when the lower end of the compression spring 80 abuts the assembly screw 86, the spring biases the housing 50 upwardly by applying a force against the flange 82 within the housing An inclined plane 92 is provided within the housing 50 and integral therewith. Also provided within the housing 50 is a wedging shoe 94 having an inclined surface of its own adapted to mate with and ride along the inclined plane 92 of the housing. Three aligned elongated slots 96 (FIGURE 2) are provided in the inclined plane 92 and the outer walls of the housing 50 in abutment with the cross members 38, 40 of the stile to provide clearance for a wedge shoe adjusting bolt 98.

The bolt 98 remains stationary while the housing 50 moves vertically along the stile with respect to the bolt and the wedging shoe 94. In this connection, the adjusting bolt 98 passes through the slot 42 in the stile cross member 38, through the inclined plane 92, through and in threaded engagement with a nut 100 captured within the wedging shoe 94, through the clearance slots 96 at both sides of the housing 50 and into threaded engagement with a tapped hole 102 in the inner stile cross member 40. By virtue of the tapped hole 102 in the cross member 40, the vertical position of the adjusting bolt 98 along the stile 20 is fixed. Moreover, since the nut 100 of the wedge shoe is also in threaded engagement with the adjusting bolt 98, the vertical position of the shoe along the stile is likewise fixed and is the same as that of the adjustig bolt. However, the lateral position of the wedge shoe 94 with respect to the stile cross members 38, 40 and the inclined plane 92 within the housing 50 can be varied merely by rotation of the adjusting bolt 98 to move the shoe closer to or further away from the head of the bolt.

Engagement of the wedging shoe 94 with the inclined plane 92 limits the maximum vertical extension of the housing 50 by the compression spring 80 acting between the sash assembly screw 86 and the flange 82 within the housing 50. Hence, rotation of the adjusting bolt 98 induces relative movement between the housing 50 and the stile 20 by permitting such relative movement between the wedging shoe 94 and the inclined plane 92 within the housing 50. In this manner, the height of each of the roller means 26, 28 above the rail 22 in FIGURE 1 can be adjusted.

It is to be noted that the wedging shoe 94 and inclined plane 92 do not limit inward movement of the housing 50 into the stile 20. In this regard, should the head member of the casing 10 contact the upper surface 72 of the shielding block 70 for any reason, the housing 50 will not bind against the head member, but rather will yield by retracting into the stile. Furthermore, and as best observed in FIGURE 2, should the sash 16 shift laterally, the small area, low friction surfaces 74, 76 of the shielding block 70 will provide low drag abutment with one of the header surfaces and shield the roller 60 from making any such contact.

Referring now more particularly to FIGURES 6 and 7, the construction and operation of the lower roller means 32, 34 will become apparent. As in the case of the upper roller means, each of the lower roller means includes a housing 110, of plastic or the like, made up of two complementary half sections 112, 114 held together in assembled relationship by means of a U spring clamp 116.

A compression spring 120 is trapped within the housing 110 and normally extends, prior to installation of the housing within the stile of a sash, between a pair of upper and lower flanges 122, 124-, respectively. However, upon installation of the housing 110 into the lower end of the stile 20, the spring 120 is compressed between the lower flange 124 of the housing and an assembly screw 126 passing through the housing, through both cross members 38, 40 of the stile 20 and into threaded engagement with a tapped portion 128 of the lower sash rail 24. In this connection, both sides of the housing 110 at the upper end thereof are provided with elongated clearance slots 130 (FIGURE 6) to permit vertical movement of the housing 110 along the stile 20 without interfering with the assembly screw 126.

The lower end of the housing 110 includes a compartment 132 in which a wheel 134 is mounted for rotation within the housing 110. The wheel 134 rotates about a horizontal axis and is supported within the housing by an integral axle 136 in rotatable engagement with one of the housing sidewalls.

The lower end of the housing 110 includes a pair of flanges 138, 140, the innermost leading faces of which are spaced apart to define an entrance opening for an upstanding fin 142 of the casing sill member which engages the lower end of the roller 134 within the housing.

A nut 144 is trapped in a fixed position within the assembled housing 110 and is in threaded engagement with a bolt 146 passing through a clearance hole 148 in the outer wall of the housing abutting the stile cross member 38. The bolt 146 also passes through the adjusting slot 44 at the lower end of the stile 20. Hence, the housing 110 can be locked in any position along the stile merely by overcoming the biasing forces of the spring 120 and tightening the bolt 146 to lock the housing to the stile.

The manner in which the sash 16 is installed within the casing is best observed in FIGURE 2. In this connection, the sash 16 is normally shipped with the lower roller means 30, 32 fully retracted within the lower ends of the stiles 18, 20. As indicated in FIGURE 2, the sash 16 is held tilted, and as the outer surface of the roller tire 62 and shielding block 70 is placed above the header ledge 34, the sash 16 is pivoted inwardly, as indicated by the arrow to a vertical position. Removal of the sash 16 is, of course, accomplished simply by following the reverse procedure and pivoting the sash outwardly, as indicated by the arrow 152 in FIGURE 2.

Prior to installation of the sash 16 into the casing 10, the top roller means 26, 28 are adjusted so that they extend out from the upper rail 22 a suflicient distance to provide clearance for insertion of the sash into the casing. After the sash 16 has been installed in a vertical position within the casing 10, the lower roller means 30, 32 are released from their retracted positions within the stiles 18, 211, respectively, and allowed to spring out full length into engagement with the fin 142 of the sill upon which they ride. As the sash 16 moves along the casing 10, the lower roller means 30, 32 automatically adjust for any vertical irregularity of the casing sill by retracting or extending into and from their respective stiles.

Since the upper roller means 26, 28 carry the weight of the sash 16, they can be adjusted to square the sash 16 with respect to the casing 10. This is accomplished by the adjustment bolt 98 of each of the upper roller means to establish the maximum extension limit of each individual roller means and, hence, the vertical height of that portion of the sash hung from each upper roller means.

As best observed in FIGURE 8, the novel roller arrangement of the present invention prevents binding of the sash in the event of warped casing members. For example, if the head member of the casing is Warped downwardly, the lower roller means 30, 32 will normally retract into the lower ends of the sash stiles to compensate for the lower height of the sash caused by the warped head member. However, if the head member is warped so badly that the lower roller means cannot retract suflicently to compensate for the drop in sash height, the roller 60 will actually lift off the horizontal ledge 34 of the casing head member. If this occurs, the low friction upper surface 72 of the roller shielding block 70 (FIG- URE 2) will contact the upper surface of the head member to prevent the roller from binding against the header surface; see point A in FIGURE 8. Moreover, abutment between the shielding block 70 and the casing header will cause the roller means to retract inwardly into the sash stile and, hence, further minimize any tendency of the assembly to bind against the warped head member. The same results would obtain if the sill member at the bottom of the casing 10 were severely warped in an upward direction.

Since the upper roller means 26, 28 and the lower roller means 30, 32 are completely interchangeable, the sash 16 is readily reversible for either left to right or right to left sliding movement within the casing 10. All that is necessary in order to reverse the sash 16 is to remove the sash, rotate the sash about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the sash, interchange the lower roller means 30, 32 with the upper roller means 26, 28, and reinstall the sash in the previously designated manner.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that, while a particular form of my invention has been illustrated and described, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Accordingly, I do not intend that my invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A reversible sliding sash construction, comprising:

a pair of normally vertical stiles;

a pair of normally horizontal upper and lower rails joined to said stiles to make up the frame of said sash;

an upper roller means housing removably mounted within each stile at the upper end thereof and extending outwardly therefrom to project above said upper rail;

a wheel carried at the upper end of each housing, said wheel being rotatable about a vertical axis;

integral shielding means extending from the upper end of each housing adjacent each wheel housing, said shielding means having low friction surfaces projecting above and laterally beyond the outer peripheral edges of the wheel carried by said housing;

means for spring-biasing each housing and wheel outwardly from its stile;

mean for adjustably limiting the extent of projection of each of said housings and wheels from their respective stiles;

a lower roller means housing removably mounted at the lower end of each stile, each of said lower roller means housings being physically interchangeable with each of said upper roller means housings;

a wheel carried at the lower end of each of said lower roller means housings, said wheel being rotatable about a horizontal axis;

and means for spring-biasing each of said lower housings and wheels to projected positions below said lower rail.

2. A reversible sliding sash construction, comprising:

a pair of normally vertical stiles;

a pair of normally horizontal upper and lower rails joined to said stiles to make up the frame of said sash;

a pair of cross members in each stile defining pockets at the upper and lower ends of each stile;

an upper roller means housing removably and slidably mounted within the pocket of each stile at the upper end thereof and extending outwardly therefrom to project above said upper rail;

a wheel carried at the upper end of each housing,

said wheel being rotatable about a vertical axis; integral shielding means carried at the upper end of each housing adjacent said wheel, said shielding means having peripheral surfaces which project above and laterally beyond the upper and lateral profile limits of the wheel carried by said housing;

means within each housing for spring-biasing said housing vertically upward along its stile;

means within each housing for adjustably limiting the extent of projection of the housing above said upper rail;

a lower roller means housing removably mounted within the pocket of each stile at the lower end thereof, each of said lower roller means housings being physically interchangeable with each of said upper roller means housings;

a wheel carried at the lower end of each of said lower roller means housings, said wheel being rotatable about a horizontal axis;

and means for spring-biasing each of said lower housings and wheels to projected positions below said lower rail.

3. A reversible sliding sash construction, comprising:

a pair of normally vertical stiles;

a pair of normally horizontal upper and lower rails joined to said stiles to make up the frame of said sash;

a pair of cross members in each stile defining hollow pockets having exposed open ends at the upper and lower ends of each stile;

an upper roller means housing removably and slidably mounted within the pocket of each stile at the upper end thereof and extending outwardly therefrom to project above said upper rail;

a wheel carried at the upper end of each housing, said wheel being rotatable about a vertical axis;

integral shielding means carried at the upper end of each housing adjacent said wheel, said shielding means having peripheral surfaces which project above and later-ally beyond the upper and lateral profile limits of the wheel carried by said housing, the profile of said shielding means being one of minimum cross sectional area consistent with its shielding function;

means within each housing for spring-biasing said housing vertically upward along its stile;

an inclined plane Within each of said housings and integral therewith;

wedging shoe within each housing in sliding engagement with the inclined plane of said housing;

an adjustment bolt passing through said housing, said shoe and said stile cross members, said bolt being in threaded engagement with said stile and said shoe to fix the vertical position of said bolt and said shoe along each stile, whereby rotation of said bolt induces movement of said housing relative to said shoe vertically along said stile;

a lower roller means housings removably mounted within the pocket of each stile at the lower end thereof, each of said lower roller means housings being physically interchangeable with each of said upper roller means housings;

a wheel carried at the lower end of each of said lower roller means housings, said wheel being rotatable about a horizontal axis;

and means for spring-biasing each of said lower housings and wheels to projected positions below said lower rail.

4. A reversible sliding sash construction, comprising:

a pair of normally vertical stiles;

a pair of normally horizontal upper and lower rails joined to said stiles to make up the frame of said sash;

a pair of cross members in each stile defining hollow pockets having exposed open ends at the upper and lower ends of each stile;

an upper roller means housing removably and slidably mounted within the pocket of each stile at the upper end thereof and extending outwardly therefrom to project above said upper rail;

a ball bearing wheel carried at the upper end of each housing, said wheel being rotatable about a vertical axis;

integral shielding means carried at the upper end of each housing adjacent said wheel, said shielding means having a substantially trapezoidal cross section providing low friction surfaces above and laterally beyond the uppermost and laterally outermost physical boundaries of the wheel carried by said housing;

means within each housing for spring-biasing said housing vertically upward along its stile;

an inclined plane within each of said housings and integral therewith;

a wedging shoe within each of said housings in sliding engagement with the inclined plane of said housing;

an adjustment bolt passing through said housing, said shoe and said stile cross members, said bolt being in threaded engagement with said stile and said shoe to fix the vertical position of said bolt and said shoe along each stile, whereby rotation of said bolt induces movement of said housing relative to said shoe vertically along said stile;

a lower roller means housing removably mounted within the pocket of each stile at the lower end thereof, each of said lower roller means housings being physically interchangeable with each of said upper roller means housings;

a wheel carried at the lower end of each of said lower roller means housings, said wheel being rotatable about a horizontal axis;

and means for spring-biasing each of said lower housings and wheels to projected positions below said lower rail.

5. A top-hung sliding sash construction, comprising:

a pair of normally vertical stiles;

a pair of normally horizontal upper and lower rails joined to said stiles to make up the frame of said sash;

an upper roller means housing removably mounted within each stile at the upper end thereof and extendingig1 outwardly therefrom to project above said upper ra a wheel carried at the upper end of each housing;

means for spring-biasing each housing and wheel outwardly from its stile;

an inclined plane within each of said housings and integral therewith;

a wedging shoe within each housing in sliding engagement with the inclined plane of said housing;

an adjustment bolt passing through said housing, said shoe and stile, said bolt being in threaded engagement with said stile and said shoe to fix the vertical position of said bolt and said shoe along each stile, rotation of said bolt inducing movement of said housing relative to said shoe vertically along said stile, whereby the extent of projection of each of said housings and wheels from their respective stiles is adjustably limited.

6. A top-hung sash construction as set forth in claim 5, including integral shielding means carried at the upper end of each housing adjacent said wheel, the outer peripheral surfaces of said shielding means lying above and laterally beyond the outer peripheral surfaces of the wheel carried by said housing.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein said housing and said shielding means are molded of lowfriction, plastic material.

8. Upper roller means for a top-hung sliding sash construction, comprising:

a housing;

a wheel carried at the upper end of said housing, said wheel being rotatable about a normally vertical axle pinned to said housing;

integral shielding means extending from the upper end of said housing adjacent said wheel, said shielding means having a cross-sectional profile presenting low friction surfaces above and laterally beyond the up- .permost and laterally outermost physical boundaries of said wheel;

compression spring means trapped within said housing,

the longitudinal axis of said spring means being parallel to the axis of rotation of said wheel;

an inclined plane within said housing and integral therewith;

a wedging shoe trapped within said housing and in sliding engagement with the inclined plane of said houss;

and an adjustment bolt passing through clearance slots in said housing and in threaded engagement with said shoe whereby rotation of said adjustment bolt induces relative movement of said housing relative to said bolt and said shoe.

9. A roller construction, comprising:

a housing formed of two mating sections;

a wheel carried at the upper end of said housing, said wheel being rotatable about a normally vertical axle pinned to said housing;

a wheel shielding block adjacent said wheel and integral with said housing, said block having a shielding profile presenting low friction surfaces above and extending laterally beyond the uppermost and laterally outermost physical boundaries of said wheel;

a pair of integral, vertically spaced flanges within said housing;

a coil spring trapped within said housing between said flanges, the axis of said spring being normally vertical;

a pair of aligned, vertically elongated slots defined by the sidewalls of said housing on opposite sides of said spring;

an inclined plane within said housing and integral there- With;

three aligned, vertically elongated slots defined by said housing, one of said slots being in said inclined plane, the other two of said slots being in the housing side- Walls on opposite sides of said inclined plane;

a wedging shoe within said housing, said wedging shoe having a surface in sliding engagement with said inclined plane;

a threaded nut captured by said wedging shoe;

and an adjustment bolt passing through said three aligned slots, said wedging shoe, and in threaded engagement with said nut, whereby rotation of said adjustment bolt induces relative movement of said housring relative to said wedging shoe along the axis of said compression spring,

10. A roller construction, comprising:

a plastic housing formed of two mating half sections;

clamping means for holding said sections together;

a ball bearing wheel carried at the upper end of said housing, said wheel being rotatable about a normally vertical axle, said axle pinning a portion of each of said housing half sections together to permit relative pivotal movement therebetween during assembly;

a substantially trapezoidal wheel shielding block adjacent said wheel and integral with said housing, said block having a shielding profile presenting low friction surfaces above and extending laterally beyond the uppermost and laterally outermost physical boundaries of said wheel;

a pair of integral, vertically spaced flanges within said housing;

a coil spring trapped within said housing between said half sections and said flanges, the axis of said spring being normally vertical;

a pair of aligned, vertically elongated slots defined by the sidewalls of said housing on opposite sides of said spring;

an inclined plane within said housing and integral therewith;

three aligned, vertically elongated slots defined by said housing, one of said slots being in said inclined plane, the other two of said slots being in the housing sidewalls on opposite sides of said inclined planes;

a wedging shoe within said housing, said wedging shoe having a surface in sliding engagement with said inclined plane;

a threaded nut captured by said wedging shoe;

and an adjustment bolt passing through said three aligned slots, said wedging shoe, and in threaded engagement with said nut, whereby rotation of said adjustment bolt induces movement of said housing relative to said wedging shoe and said bolt along the axis of said compression spring.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,090,084 5/1963 Banner 2019 3,102,581 9/ 1963 Kochanowski 16-97 X 3,110,935 11/1963 Riegelman 20-19 3,111,209 11/1963 Riegelman 2019 X HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH DOWNEY, Examiner. 

1. A REVERSIBLE SLIDING SASH CONSTRUCTION, COMPRISING: A PAIR OF NORMALLY VERTICAL STILES; A PAIR OF NORMALLY HORIZONTAL UPPER AND LOWER RAILS JOINED TO SAID STILES TO MAKE UP THE FRAME OF SAID SASH; AN UPPER ROLLER MEANS HOUSING REMOVABLY MOUNTED WITHIN EACH STILE AT THE UPPER END THEREOF AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM TO PROJECT ABOVE SAID UPPER RAIL; A WHEEL CARRIED AT THE UPPER END OF EACH HOUSING, SAID WHEEL BEING ROTATABLE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS; INTEGRAL SHIELDING MEANS EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER END OF EACH HOUSING ADJACENT EACH WHEEL HOUSING, SAID SHIELDING MEANS HAVING LOW FRICTION SURFACES PROJECTING ABOVE AND LATERALLY BEYOND THE OUTER PERIPHERAL EDGES OF THE WHEEL CARRIED BY SAID HOUSING; MEANS FOR SPRING-BIASING EACH HOUSING AND WHEEL OUTWARDLY FROM ITS STILE; MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLY LIMITING THE EXTENT OF PROJECTION OF EACH OF SAID HOUSINGS AND WHEELS FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE STILES; A LOWER ROLLER MEANS HOUSING REMOVABLY MOUNTED AT THE LOWER END OF EACH STILE, EACH OF SAID LOWER ROLLER MEANS HOUSINGS BEING PHYSICALLY INTERCHANGEABLE WITH EACH OF SAID UPPER ROLLER MEANS HOUSINGS; A WHEEL CARRIED AT THE LOWER END OF EACH OF SAID LOWER ROLLER MEANS HOUSINGS, SAID WHEEL BEING ROTATABLE ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS; AND MEANS FOR SPRING-BIASING EACH OF SAID LOWER HOUSINGS AND WHEELS TO PROJECTED POSITIONS BELOW SAID LOWER RAIL. 